10 Best How I Met Your Mother Holiday Episodes
2. Symphony Of Illumination
Yes, this one is a heartbreaker, but unlike some of
the show’s more maudlin half hours unsung cast hero Cobie Smulders truly sells
the tragedy in this bittersweet Christmas episode, as she narrates a sad story (still
filled with the requisite laughs of course) to her as-yet unborn children. The ending
features a devastating conclusion which stretches how emotionally resonant this
often zany and over-the-top show can be, but Smulders’ detached sadness makes
the scene a success and it’s one of the most memorable moments of the show’s
long run.
This one was knocked off the top spot thanks to a somewhat mean-spirited subplot wherein Marshall never quite gets revenge of some neighbourhood little s***s, but it is one of the show’s best balancing acts between comedy and drama and is all the more effective for focusing on one of the show’s central cast rather than the too often-spotlighted narrator Ted.